


Shovel Talk

by chronicAngel



Series: Sand in the Wind [3]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Awkwardness, Flirting, Gay, M/M, Meeting the Parents, POV Third Person, Shovel Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: If Gaara has noticed the way Shinki leans against the other boy yet, he does not feel the need to say anything. He must, though, because when they're unloading the food (at the table, as his father does not believe in eating on the couch) he does his awful staring thing.





	Shovel Talk

The first boy he brings home is a friend of Yodo's (her cousin or something), hardly a month before his sixteenth birthday. They play video games on the couch for an hour while his dad is at a meeting with the daimyō, and by the time the Kazekage is back from his meeting, they're kissing. They stumble apart the moment they hear the doors start to slide open, but the way they're sitting a foot apart and breathing hard is too obvious.

Gaara blinks at him with owlish green eyes and then continues with his usual routine upon coming home, sliding his shoes off and going to the kitchen to find something to drink (the heat in his father's office is merciless and Shinki doubts the Kazekage's robes help anything) while calling over his shoulder, "How was your mission today?"

"It was good," he calls back, barely keeping his voice from cracking. He stares more pointedly at the device in his hands while he continues, "It went pretty fast. Apparently Araya tends the cacti in his yard with his mom, so we were able to show Yodo what to do pretty quickly. You were busy so we sent the mission report with sensei and went to go train." As his father steps back into the room, he gives him a look and Shinki flushes under the scrutiny, putting the game down and rubbing at the back of his neck. "Araya and Yodo said it was too hot for training right after a mission, so we went to the sweets store... I wanted to train!" He defends after a minute, and his father gives him an amused look.

"It's okay to take a break from training once in a while, tanuki-kun," his father says, sipping at his juice, and Shinki's cheeks flush at the childhood nickname, eyes sliding to the boy on the opposite side of the couch, who is still staring at his game. Gaara must notice, because he looks over as well and, acting as though he hasn't seen the boy even though they all know he has, smiles warmly and says, "Ah, hello. Who is this?" The question feels distinctly pointed, but Shinki can't dodge it in any graceful way so he nervously murmurs _Dāsan_. "Nice to meet you, Dāsan," his father greets warmly, but there's something _off_ about it. "I hope you can join us for dinner."

Before Shinki, horrified, can interrupt that _unfortunately_ , Dāsan has a mission tomorrow and should go to bed early (only technically a lie), the blond boy smiles at his father and says, "That sounds awesome!"

Shinki has a growing feeling of dread and honestly, he'd be happy to just curl up and die. While Gaara leaves them, likely to begin preparing dinner, Dāsan scoots closer and snickers, picking up his device. "Your dad is awesome, _tanuki-kun_." His cheeks flush at the teasing and he tries to ignore the twisting feeling in his guts as he picks up his own game and starts pressing buttons on auto-pilot.

He still feels anxious when they sit at the table nearly an hour later, the sun beginning to streak golds and pinks across the sky outside of the window. "So, Dad," he starts nervously before either of the other people at the table around him can start a conversation. "How was your meeting?"

His father hums curiously, looking straight at Dāsan as he speaks. "The same as most. Discussing budgeting with the daimyō to get more funding for the Academy is an annual annoyance," he dismisses, and then picks up his spoon and starts in on his stew, silently staring at the blond boy while he eats. He looks almost like a predator, and Shinki is quickly losing his appetite.

"You're one of Baramo-san's students, aren't you?" He says after a few minutes of nothing but staring and the sounds of silverware clattering against porcelain. The staring is clearly starting to get to Dāsan, who nervously nods and then lets his eyes flit down to his bowl without saying anything (which contrasts the talkative boy Shinki has been flirting with for the last week or so). "Her students have always been amazing ninja. I'm sure you won't disappoint."

It doesn't sound anything like a threat, but for some reason, Shinki gets the feeling that it was. No one says anything for the rest of dinner. Gaara stares Dāsan down like he is trying to figure out the best angle to pounce on him from, Dāsan begins to shovel his food down faster (which does nothing for his image, really) in the attempt to get out of here as soon as he can, and Shinki sits in the spot between them trying his best not to bury his face in his hands lest that stare be turned on him. Finally, after what feels like centuries, everyone is finished with their food, and Shinki rushes to get Dāsan out the door. "Well, I think it's really about time for you to be going," he says, pushing him out.

Gaara begins collecting the dishes before he's even made it out of the archway to the next room, and he gets the feeling that this is exactly the effect his father was going for. (It's strange to him. He has never known his father to be particularly protective and he's brought boys like Araya home before, brought home girls like Yodo home before he was out, has even had them stay for dinner. He's watched his father have emphatic conversation with his teammates despite being a relatively antisocial person without even hinting at being protective, and yet something about _this boy_ is apparently different.)

He does not get a kiss goodbye at the door.

* * *

The next time he brings a boy home is only four months later, and he forgets that Kankurō-ji-san is staying with them for the week in his rush of hormones that _oh God, a cute boy is talking to me, and he's_ flirting _, he's really obviously flirting_. This time, he doesn't even make it to the couch before he is busted, holding the boy's hand as he walks in and face heating up to approximately a thousand degrees when he spots his uncle staring in confusion at a handheld gaming device on the couch. He immediately drops the boy's hand, eyes going wide as his uncle looks over at them. "H-hey, ji-san," he says, trying to act casual, but the stutter on the first word really gives it away and immediately one of his uncle's eyebrows shoots up.

"Hey, Shi-chan, who's this?" He says, and Shinki supposes _Shi-chan_ is slightly less embarrassing than his childhood nickname, but wishes his uncle would stop referring to him like a five-year-old.

"Junji," says the boy next to him, confidently stepping forward and offering Kankurō a hand to shake. When his uncle does not take it after a minute, Junji simply drops it back down to his side, and Shinki steps forward so they are next to each other.

Unsure of what else to do, he sits on the couch on one side of his uncle and Junji takes a seat on the other rather than squishing in next to him.

After a short while, things start to return to how they often are with his uncle, with Kankurō-ji-san cracking dumb jokes and Shinki rolling his eyes while Junji cracks up on the other side of the couch, leaving Shinki feeling almost pleasantly outnumbered (though he's not sure that's a real thing). "Sorry to interrupt your date night," Kankurō coos, clearly teasing, and Shinki blushes. "I was just trying to figure out how this thing works."

"I can show you," Junji offers with a grin, and his uncle is quick to accept. Rolling his eyes once more, Shinki dismisses himself to go get snacks, as he assures them this will likely take a while. Kankurō-ji-san is sticking his tongue out at him when he starts on his way to the kitchen, and if Junji wasn't here, he might consider returning the gesture. As it is, he makes a beeline for the fridge and examines its contents.

Last time his team gathered at his own house, Araya showed them how to home-make animal-shaped higashi upon learning that neither of them were any good at it (or at cooking at all, really), and he sees that there are still leftovers shaped like birds in one corner of his fridge. He grabs the plate and pours cups of peach juice for the three of them before starting on his way back to the living room only to hear his uncle, who seems to be trying to be intimidating. "If you... you know, I'll... y'know," he says lamely, and even Shinki almost snickers at the attempt at a shovel talk.

Junji laughs and shrugs it off, going back to his demonstration on how the game that's currently in Shinki's device is played, and his uncle looks flustered by how unfazed the boy is at what was probably meant to be a threat. Shinki makes his way back to the couch and squeezes his way next to Junji, which ends up with him half in the other boy's lap, but if he notices he does not say anything, narrowing his eyes at the screen. Shinki is surprised by how good he is at the game. His uncle sulks on the other end of the couch.

He and Junji date for another four months before the latter is promoted to jōnin and is quickly sent on an undercover mission to the Land of Grass that will take years. Araya, Yodo, and Kankurō-ji-san are there to comfort him with marshmallows and stories of his father's genin days that night.

* * *

He's been dating Jiduri for two months when he takes him to his house for his seventeenth birthday, hoping that his father won't scare him off the way he did with the first boy he brought home (and more than one boy since then). He is pleasantly surprised when he gets home to see Shikadai sprawled out on the couch, Shikamaru-ji-san nowhere in sight but undoubtedly here. "Shika-kun!" He says, and his cousin immediately springs up to greet him with a high five. His boyfriend does his best to hide behind him, but that doesn't stop Shikadai from seeing him.

"Ooh, looks like you've got a boyfriend," Shikadai teases, shooting a wicked grin between Shinki and Jiduri, and Shinki immediately groans and shoves his cousin away, moving to sit on the couch. Both Shikadai and Jiduri shuffle over to sit on either side of him, the latter shyly hiding his face in Shinki's shoulder. "I played your games for a bit while you were gone but I got bored. I beat your high scores." Shinki shoots him an incredulous look and immediately checks the one that's in.

"Happy birthday, kid," he hears his uncle say before they can start a fight, and he buries his fingers in Shinki's thick hair, effectively flattening it. He jumps when they first make contact, but recognizes the familiar touch before he has a heart attack and crinkles his nose. (If he didn't recognize the gesture, he's sure he'd recognize the smell of cigarette smoke.)

Jiduri makes the mistake of looking up to see who's ruffling Shinki's hair with such familiarity and ends up making eye contact with Shikamaru, who immediately quirks an eyebrow and puts on a face like he's about to start an interrogation on par with Ino's. Shinki has only been to Konohagakure a dozen times in his life and he has met Yamanaka Ino fewer times than that, but he has heard a number of times from Shikadai how scary she can be. "You must be Shinki's boyfriend." He says, and he waits for his nervous nod before he shrugs and says, "They're gonna tear you apart."

He thinks he can feel Jiduri's heart spike as his uncle turns and walks back into the kitchen where Shinki presumes his aunt and other uncle are gathered with his father despite the fact that they're not touching. "Don't listen to him," he coaxes, but he can tell Jiduri doesn't really believe him. (He doesn't really believe himself.) It doesn't help that Shikadai snorts immediately afterward and Jiduri's eyes snap anxiously to his face. "Don't listen to him either," he hisses, but it's more like he's scolding Shikadai than trying to reassure his boyfriend.

His father comes out a few short minutes later, and Jiduri immediately snaps into an upright position, back ramrod straight. _Even civilian boys are intimidated by the mere presence of the Kazekage_ , he thinks, trying not to huff.

"Shikamaru said you brought a boy," he says, eyes roving over Shikadai and him until they land on the visibly nervous Jiduri. He smiles just as warmly as always. "I've heard a lot about you the past couple of months." The shaking boy at his side sends Shinki a look that is half-pleading for help and half- _I can't believe you told your Dad about us_. He doesn't say as much out loud, simply looking at Gaara with a half-smile after a moment and nodding, though this confuses even Shinki.

"Yeah, I brought a boy. Is... that okay?" He asks, raising his brows.

"It's fine," his father says immediately and then wanders back into the kitchen where everyone else is, which makes Shinki furrow his brows.

"Do you--"

"I have no idea," Shikadai says, pulling out his own gaming device to play one of his own 'less boring' games. They play different games next to each other for a while, with Jiduri eventually relaxing against his side as Shikadai continues to tell embarrassing stories about their childhood, seeing how many details he can spill before Shinki finally gives up on his fighting game to slap a hand over his cousin's mouth. "This one time when we were like... ten? I think we were ten. Anyway, this one time we were going to pull a prank on his dad, which honestly took a _lot_ of convincing because Shinki's such a--"

"Hey Shika-kun, how's Inojin?" He asks, loud enough that it overpowers Shikadai's next words, and his cousin's mouth snaps shut as his cheeks heat up. A few moments later, Shikamaru comes back out to drag the three of them back to the dining room.

He's not sure he's seen this much food in his life, especially not for only seven people. He immediately notices the gizzard and braised stew, but begins to take note of some of his aunt and uncles' favorite foods spread out in pots and on large serving plates. Steam wafts from a large pot of Kenchin soup, and on either side of it are plates of fish and kelp (his bet is mackerel, judging by the way Shikamaru-ji-san's eyes keep dropping down to it) and Hamburg steak. There's a large pink cake in the center of the table, and he wonders if it was Araya or Yodo who smuggled it in this year. "We remembered how much teenage boys can eat," Kankurō jokes, and he rolls his eyes.

They don't say much more before they all sit down to eat, with Temari-ba-san staying upright to serve everyone without question. He wonders if she feels obligated to as the only woman at the table, or because she considers everyone else around her too incompetent to do it. He supposes it must be the latter, as his aunt would never submit to such sexist ideals. He notices that his dad is already staring Jiduri down and wants to bury his face in his hands, but it's nothing compared to the way he notices Temari-ba-san lean in as she's serving him and whisper, just loud enough that Shinki can catch it, "If you hurt him, they'll find your body in ribbons."

He feels a shiver shoot up his own spine and glances over at his boyfriend when his aunt pulls away with a warm smile like she has not just threatened this boy's life. He thinks the scariest part is that he can't be sure that she won't actually follow through with this threat. As he should expect, the color has completely drained from Jiduri's face, and he stares down at his food like it may be poisoned.

Jiduri breaks up with him the next day, and admits to him with a grimace that he's terrified of his family. Shinki spends a week blaming himself for dating someone so shy and reserved ( _of course he wouldn't be able to deal with them_ , he thinks, _I'm such an idiot_ ).

* * *

Shinki gets Araya a new mask during a mission to Ishigakure for his birthday, which is only two months after Shinki's. The markings on it are red, like the paint Shinki and Kankurō-ji-san wear, though they're in thin swirling lines around a demonic face like a kabuki mask.

The biggest notable difference is that it doesn't cover his mouth. He wears it constantly, though Shinki suspects it is less because of the sentimental value of the gift and more because it means he can toss marshmallows in his mouth all day while they're training. Shinki likes it, though, because it means he can see Araya's little smirks and smiles during training that he couldn't before.

Currently, he's walking Araya and Yodo home, standing between them while Yodo talks about her newest favorite band (another one he's never heard of, something from Takigakure that plays homemade, hand-crafted instruments which gives it a unique sound for... some reason) and Araya silently stuffs pieces of wagashi in his mouth between fangs at either side of his lips from the mask. He stares at the ground while they walk, frowning as he spots more and more pieces of litter. Eventually, he starts bending over to pick them up so he can throw them away when he gets home. He doesn't even notice Araya smiling softly at the back of his head.

"Well, this one's mine," Yodo says suddenly, snapping his attention back to the conversation. Her house is actually four down, but she waves and runs off before he can say this.

He glances at Araya and raises a brow, but the other boy just smiles and shrugs. He shrugs back and they keep walking until Araya finishes his wagashi and offers the empty tin to Shinki with a smirk, and he can imagine the teasing twinkle of mischief in his eye. Scowling, Shinki takes the tin from him and finds a place to squeeze it into the rest of the pile of garbage in his arms, and then defiantly keeps walking. Araya lives on the other side of town from Yodo, and Shinki lives in the middle of both of them in the Kazekage's house (a house his family has been occupying since this village was founded), but he has made it a point to walk them both home after every training session since they were genin. He doesn't notice Araya has stopped walking until he's two buildings down from him, and he flushes as he turns to walk back to him and sit next to him on the bench.

"It's nice out today," Araya comments offhandedly, and Shinki nods as he clutches trash closer to his chest so he doesn't accidentally drop it in the sand. Clouds cover the sun, so it is not as unbearably hot as it often is. Shinki has never minded the heat, but Araya is a notorious baby when it comes to the weather (despite having lived in Suna his whole life). "Why are you collecting all of the litter? People are just going to drop more."

He blushes more and stares at his feet while a candy wrapper struggles to flutter away with a breeze. "I guess it is kinda dumb, huh? But... I don't like seeing trash in the streets of my father's village. Of what will be _my_ village. It's... symbolic of something, I think."

"That's not dumb," his teammate reassures after a second, and he looks up at him. He thinks if he could see Araya's cheeks they might be red as he continues, "It's something I like about you." After another second, he adds, "Not that the list is short." Shinki knows he's blushing, and he would rub at the back of his neck ( _Because it's sweaty_!) if his hands weren't full of discarded plastic and food waste. Araya pulls a bag of gummi candies seemingly out of nowhere and begins eating them, and Shinki wonders if he's ever gone more than an hour without sweets in his life. "You know, it's crazy to think we've been on the same team for almost seven years and you've never noticed that I like you," he says nonchalantly, and Shinki shoots him a confused look.

"I know you like me. We wouldn't be friends if you didn't."

Araya laughs.

He puts the bag down between them and rests his hand only a few inches away from Shinki's hip. "You're so clueless sometimes. It's adorable." Shinki thinks about this for a moment, eyebrows furrowed in thought, and then his face lights up again. He's had so many boyfriends at this point that he should have been able to realize what he meant. If nothing else, he's liked enough boys he should have known.

"I didn't know you were gay," is the first thing he blurts, and Araya laughs again.

"I'm not." His head is tilted back as though he's looking at the sky and Shinki imagines his eyes are crinkled at the corners with a smile like his father's do sometimes when he's proud, resting a hand on top of Shinki's head and saying _Congratulations_. Shinki smiles just thinking about the image, his body warming in a pleasant way (which is surprising, as he is sure the air around him has heated up twenty degrees in the time they've been sitting out here and he wouldn't think getting any warmer could possibly be pleasant). "I just like... _you_. I never thought about any other boys. Or girls, really. It was always just Shinki."

Shinki stares up at the sky, streaked with pinks and oranges and reds like the sweets Araya is constantly stuffing his face with. "When you say always, do you mean like...?" He trails off, looking over at his teammate and the way a content smile stretches across what he can see of his face. He groans as he realizes with startling clarity that this is a yes. "I'm such an idiot," he says, letting his head fall back against the top of the bench they're sitting on.

"Yeah," Araya says, and Shinki lifts his head to scowl at him again, which only gets him laughed at. "I could have said something sooner, though. I guess... you came out to your dad when we were fourteen and you had a boyfriend like three weeks later. It's not like there are a ton of guys who like guys in our village, but you're... _you_. Who wouldn't want to date you? I didn't feel like fighting with all of the other guys. I figured either you'd notice one day or you wouldn't."

He wants to hold Araya's hand, he realizes with startling certainty. It's still on the bench between them, and he wants to rest his on top of it and just sit like that until the sun sets and he has to go home. Instead, his arms are still filled with trash, so he can only sit in contentment next to his childhood teammate, watching as the sun fades from a sunset adorned with rose petals to an inky night sky, dotted with more stars than you can see in Konoha these days (Shikadai complains about it all of the time). Eventually, he stands, smiling at Araya, and says, "My dad will be getting home and starting dinner soon."

There is an unspoken invitation there.

They don't talk for the entire walk to his house, and Araya has gone back to stuffing candies in his mouth even as he knows they are going to dinner, which tempts Shinki to roll his eyes. The first thing he does when they get there is dump all of the litter in his arms into the trash can, and then he and Araya sit on the couch and Araya makes himself welcome to Shinki's game since he has much more fun with them, anyway (and Shinki can admit, begrudgingly, that he is better at them). He leans against Araya's shoulder and wonders if his father is home yet.

He gets his answer only a few minutes later when he hears the doors sliding open and a paper bag rustling, which means his father has probably gotten take-out instead of making something. He does this sometimes, rarely, when he thinks he will be coming home particularly late.

"I'm home," he announces, and a minute later he comes into the sitting room. "Ah, hello, Araya. Where is Yodo?" He immediately notices the lack of the blonde girl next to them, and Shinki blushes despite himself.

"It's just Araya today," he says, and Gaara must accept this because he sits on the couch on Shinki's other side.

"Well, I am sorry to say that I didn't think to bring food for a third person," his father offers apologetically, and Araya shrugs. If Gaara has noticed the way Shinki leans against the other boy yet, he does not feel the need to say anything. He must, though, because when they're unloading the food (at the table, as his father does not believe in eating on the couch) he does his awful staring thing.

If _Araya_ notices, _he_ doesn't feel the need to say anything, as he just continues to make conversation with Shinki about their mission the day after tomorrow to Konoha. When he is not talking, he simply stares back at Gaara. (Or Shinki has to assume that's what he's doing, since the mask still obscures his eyes.)


End file.
